Ethereum (ETH), launched in July 2015 after a successful fund-raising period, is an open-source, decentralised cryptocurrency platform with "smart contracts", a set of scripts which run on top of Ethereum's blockchain and which automatically enforce contracts and agreements. It is also a development platform that makes it easy to build decentralised applications using Ethereum's own scripting language. The currency behind the Ethereum network is called "Ether". While the developers intended Ether to be just a token (rather than currency) to pay for computation and network maintenance, Ether (often referred to as "Ethereum") is actively traded on many digital currency exchanges. Original announcement.

DistroWatch.com - BitKey

BitKey is a FREE, Debian-based live Linux distribution designed for Bitcoin users; it comes with specialist utilities to perform highly secure air-gapped Bitcoin transactions. It contains a swiss army knife of handy Bitcoin tools that support a wide range of usage models, including a few very secure ones which would otherwise be difficult to perform. The system boots into one of the three available modes: "cold-offline" - for creating a wallet and signing transactions; "cold-online" - for watching the wallet and preparing transactions; "hot-online" - standard usage but less secure as the private keys are known to the computer which is connected to the internet.

The Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism was developed as a response to (what many viewed as) a major deficiency of Bitcoin and its Proof-of-Work (PoW) mechanism - the environmental damage caused by the mining of bitcoins. In contrast to Bitcoin's PoW, PoS does not require miners to do any energy-intensive computations to process transactions. The PoS system relies on existing holders of the currency to secure the blockchain by keeping their wallets open for the staking process to take place. As such, PoS cryptocurrencies are much more energy-efficient and provide faster transaction confirmations. However, the PoS mechanism is not perfect either; according to some critics, the protocol's design (which rewards "stakers" with interest payments) encourages coin hoarding, while security has also been questioned, especially in cryptocurrencies with a limited number of users and stakers.

Holger Schinzel has released a bug-fix update of the Dash (DASH) Core wallet client, the application powering the project's proof-of-stake cryptocurrency with extra privacy and anonymity features: "We are happy to announce the release of Dash Core 0.12.2.3. Dash Core 0.12.2.3 is a maintenance release of the Dash Core 0.12.2.x series. In this minor release only bug fixes have been included and we consider this a stable release. This release includes fixes and improvements as follows: InstantSend fixes; fix -liquidityprovider option; fixes a few crashes and compatibility issues." The release notes provide details on the above-mentioned changes, including the InstantSend fix: "Coin selection could work slightly incorrect in some edge cases which could lead to a creation of an InstantSend transaction which only the local wallet would consider to be a good candidate for a lock. Such txes was not locked by the network but they were creating a confusion on the user side giving an impression of a slightly higher InstantSend failure rate." Download (SHA256): dashcore-0.12.2.3-linux64.tar.gz (26.4MB, signature), dashcore-0.12.2.3-linux32.tar.gz (27.0MB, signature), dashcore-0.12.2.3-RPi2.tar.gz (11.1MB, signature), dashcore-0.12.2.3-osx.dmg (13.7MB, signature), dashcore-0.12.2.3-win64-setup.exe (14.8MB, signature), dashcore-0.12.2.3-win64.zip (26.5MB, signature). Here is the quick link to the source code: v0.12.2.3.tar.gz (6.92MB).

Evan Duffield has announced the release of Dash (DASH) Core 0.12.1.0, a major new release from the privacy-oriented cryptocurrency launched in January 2014 as Darkcoin (rebranding to Dash about a year later). This version of Dash is based on Bitcoin 0.12.1: "It is with great excitement that the development team has just released our much anticipated version 12.1 of the Dash Core client. This release is our most extensive release to date, after which the development team will be able to focus fully on Evolution. Once again, Dash is delivering first-in-cryptocurrency functionality that further differentiates us in the market, and enables an entirely new model for supporting the Dash ecosystem in exciting new ways. Here is an abbreviated list of the enhanced functionality included in the version 12.1 release: based on Bitcoin 0.12.1 with RBF off; PrivateSend multi-session mixing to speed mixing times...." Read the release announcement for more information, changelog and upgrade instructions. Download links: dashcore-0.12.1.0-linux64.tar.gz (26.7MB, SHA256, signature), dashcore-0.12.1.0-RPi2.tar.gz (11.0MB, SHA256, signature), dashcore-0.12.1.0-osx.dmg (13.9MB, SHA256, signature), dashcore-0.12.1.0-win64-setup.exe (15.1MB, SHA256, signature), dashcore-0.12.1.0-win64.zip (26.8MB, SHA256, signature). The source code is available from GitHub: v0.12.1.0.tar.gz (7.24MB).

Holger Schinzel has announced the release of Dash (DASH) 0.12.0.57, a minor bug-fix update of the privacy-oriented cryptocurrency formerly known as Darkcoin: "We are happy to announce the release of 0.12.0.57. Dash Core 0.12.0.57 is a maintenance release of the Dash Core 0.12.0.x series. In this minor release only bug fixes have been included and we consider this a stable release: fixed a bug in budget submission; fixed mn signature issues with IPv6; logging has been improved; some small text/image fixes have been made to the user interface." Read the rest of the release notes for more information and full changelog. Dash Core 0.12.0.57 binary software packages are available for Linux, OS X, Raspberry Pi 2 and Windows; download them from here (SHA256): dash-0.12.0.57-linux64.tar.gz (19.0MB), dash-0.12.0.57-RPi2.tar.gz (9.34MB), dash-0.12.0.57-osx.dmg (10.2MB), dash-0.12.0.57-win64-setup.exe (12.5MB). The source code is available from GitHub: v0.12.0.57.tar.gz (3.93MB).

Evan Duffield has announced the availability of Dash (DASH) 0.12.1.1, a development build of the privacy-oriented cryptocurrency formerly known as Darkcoin. This is a Testnet-only release intended for users wishing to help testing the many new features and user interface enhancements. From the release announcement: "Development has been progressing rapidly in 2016 as we pursue the next set of objectives on the 2016 roadmap. Because of the multitude of changes needed to facilitate the radical enhancements envisioned to our network's capabilities and our user experience, we have divided development efforts into two main working groups - Core and Evolution. Today, I am excited to announce that the next set of Core capabilities are ready to begin testing of our 12.1 release. Partial changelog: generic object storage with attached generic data format; Sentinel implementation; UI enhancements; Masternode list with start/stop support...." Download links: dash-0.12.1-linux64.tar.gz (38.1MB), dash-0.12.1-RPi2.tar.gz (10.5MB), dash-0.12.1-osx-unsigned.dmg (13.7MB), dash-0.12.1-win64.zip (37.7MB). The source code is available from GitHub: v0.12.1.1.tar.gz (7.22MB).

The DASH development team has announced the release of Dash (DASH) 0.12.0, a major new update of the cryptocurrency project that used to be known as Darkcoin: "It is with great pleasure that the development team brings you the much anticipated version 12 release of the Dash Core client. This release implements numerous features the Dash community has requested, such as the decentralized budget system and the removal of the reference node. In fact, by virtually any measure this is our most extensive release to date. It also establishes ground-breaking functionality that further differentiates our cryptocurrency and enables an entirely new model for supporting the Dash ecosystem in exciting new ways. Here is an abbreviated list of the enhanced functionality included in the version 12 release: incorporated Bitcoin Core version 0.10; implemented the first decentralized budget system and ability to fund Dash projects directly from the block rewards...." Read the rest of the release announcement for a complete list of changes. Download links: dash-0.12.0.44-linux64.tar.gz (19.3MB), dash-0.12.0.44-osx.dmg (10.5MB), dash-0.12.0.44-win64.zip (33.6MB). The source code is available from GitHub: v0.12.0.44.tar.gz (4.47MB).

DASH core developer "eduffield" has announced the release of Dash (DASH) 0.11.2, a mandatory upgrade and a complete redesign of the cryptocurrency's software wallet. This release coincides with the project's recent rebranding effort from Darkcoin to Dash. From the release announcement: "This is the first Dash release and it’s huge! The team has been hard at work for over 2 months on improving various parts of the core client. The client should overall be much faster to use, require less bandwidth, will require a level-of-service from masternodes, perform Darksend transactions faster and has a new beautiful look and feel. All users must update! This includes protocol changes, so all users must update. Enforcement will be turned off briefly while the network updates, then turned on when we hit 80% in a day or two. Older version masternodes will cease to be paid immediately due to the incompatibility of the protocol!" See also the release notes for technical details. Download: dash-0.11.2.16-linux.tar.gz (36.5MB), dash-0.11.2.16-osx.dmg (17.2MB), dash-0.11.2.16-win.zip (86.9MB). The source code source is available from GitHub: v0.11.2.16.tar.gz (4.36MB).

Fernando Gutierrez has announced that the rebranding of the cryptocurrency project formerly known as Darkcoin (DRK) to Dash (DASH) has been completed: "Our vision has always been to create a private and instant payment platform (e.g Digital Cash), for the benefit of the majority. This is our ethos and most important goal. Recently it became apparent that the Darkcoin branding was getting in our way, so in order to accomplish our greater mission, we decided rebranding was necessary. Effective today, Darkcoin is rebranding to Dash, which stands for Digital Cash. The ticker is DASH and all the other feature names stay the same (Darksend, InstantX). We are only changing the name, no technology is affected by this." Along with the new logo and website, a rebranded Dash wallet is now also available: "The Dash rebranded wallet is now available. This update is not mandatory, in fact it's the exact same wallet, just rebranded. Configurations have been moved from .darkcoin to .dash." Download the new wallet from here: darkcoin-0.11.1.26-linux.tar.gz (35.5MB), darkcoin-0.11.1.26-osx.dmg (16.9MB), darkcoin-0.11.1.26-win.zip (85.2MB). Source code: v0.11.1.26.tar.gz (3.99MB).

The developers of Darkcoin (DRK) have been busy making frequent incremental updates to Darkcoin Core, the software powering the cryptocurrency with strong anonymity features. That latest version includes InstantX, a mechanism for mitigating double-spending attacks: "We are excited to announce the release of Darkcoin Core v0.11.1! We have decided to push out InstantX in a separate release because it's working perfectly on testnet and our other changes to the masternode network will take some time to complete. This release includes a full implementation of InstantX, a new version of enforcement that works with the updated Bitcoin architecture, huge improvements to Darksend, lower bandwidth usage and a fully implemented sporking framework. This release implements two hard forks, so all users must update ASAP." Read the detailed release announcement which includes screenshots of Darkcoin's improved wallet. Download: darkcoin-0.11.1.19-linux.tar.gz (38MB), darkcoin-0.11.1.19-osx.dmg (18MB), darkcoin-0.11.1.19-win.zip (89MB). Source code: v0.11.1.19.tar.gz (5.48MB).

The Darkcoin development team has announced the release of Darkcoin Core 0.11.0, a new major release of the Bitcoin-forked altcoin with strong privacy features: "We are excited to announce the release of Darkcoin Core 0.11.0. This is a highly anticipated release and was the result of the work of over 10 people for nearly 2 months. Here are the release notes: fork from Bitcoin 0.9.3 taking advantage of nearly 2 years of development to the Bitcoin core client; rebrand to Darkcoin Core; version bumped to 0.11 to indicate a new major release; renamed client to identify with network from Satoshi to Core; bumped protocol version to 70052; changed p2sh-address versions to start with 7 (instead of 3, this affects public keys only, old scripts remain valid and usable); changed testnet address versions to start with x or y; added new units: duffs (1 / 100.000.000 DRK)...." See the release announcement and read the complete release notes for a long list of changes and improvements. Download: darkcoin-0.11.0.6-linux.tar.gz (36.3MB, SHA256), darkcoin-0.11.0.6-osx.dmg (17.2MB, SHA256), BitShares-v0.5.0.exe (12.4MB, SHA256), v0.11.0.6.tar.gz (4.1MB).